


Finding Harry

by elvirakitties



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Manipulative Dumbledore, Second War with Voldemort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-01-25
Packaged: 2018-09-19 21:42:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9461492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elvirakitties/pseuds/elvirakitties





	

"I know you're here." A voice called out. 

Harry peeked down over the opening to the floor below. He hoped that dark-haired man didn't think that was going to work. He could see the man carried a stick like the previous one did but he wasn't worried. 

He stood up and with a quick wave of his hand gathered his belongs and waited. He didn't have to wait long before he heard a scream of pain. He grinned, they all fell for it. He scanned the area once again, making sure everything was in place, no sense in letting the man know he was here.

He walked to the metal fire door and exited the building. He went up the fire escape, avoiding those with the sticks waiting for him. He made his way across the roof and was two buildings away when he glanced down at the street and saw the one with the wooden leg he had caught last night walking down the street.

He watched as the man stopped. Darn it, they have something of mine to follow me. Harry stood up and cast a quick parsel spell on himself. It was one of the spells an older snake had taught him. The snake had been with him for a few years before it died but he learned a lot from that snake. He peeked over the edge and saw the wooden-leg man was now trying to figure out what was going on, he was turning in all different directions. Harry grinned and stood up and make his way to the next safe place he had lined up. He would have to find a way to cover his magic if that was how they were finding him. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Not so loud." Harry heard a voice say. Harry frowned at the three entering his newer home. Why couldn't they leave him alone? This was the fourth time in a month a group of people with pointy sticks showed up at one of his homes. He wondered who his new traps would catch now. Last time he caught all of them in a cage. When the cage when closed, transported them to somewhere in Italy. He liked that trap.

"Are we sure he is here? This is the fourth time we have been here and we haven't found him yet, and I don't want to end up in Italy again." A red-hair man stated.

"If you weren't a bunch of idiots, you would have caught him by now." A dark-haired man wearing all black snarled. Harry wanted to grin as he watched the dark-hair man dodged the fake trap and stepped into the real trap, causing all of them to be bound in rope.

"Not so simple is it, Snape." The only woman responded. 

"Finite Incantatem." Snape stated and everyone screamed as they all felt the port-key pull on them. 

Harry gathered up his belongs, realizing it was time to leave again. He thought about maybe trying Scotland or Wales. It was summer so it warm and he would enjoy the change of pace. London was getting scary with these people with pointy sticks arriving all the time. Maybe he could find a new snake friend. He headed out. It was a long walk to Scotland or Wales, he hadn't fully decided as of yet. He knew he would have to keep the masking spell up. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Harry was fishing by the lake when he saw them again. He grinned. He had put some of his useless belongings around town and wanted to see their response time. He masked his magical signature, changed his looks, and was going to enjoy watching them try to figure out what was going on. Most of the town was situated on the north and east side of the lake. The south and west were just a few scattered cottages. 

He recognized a few of them. One was the man called Snape, there was that woman, the black man, and the last one was the red-haired man again. He really wondered if they anything better to do than chasing him for some reason.

"Boy, have you seen any strangers around here?" Snape asked. Harry wondered if the man only had one tone of voice, as he could hear the contempt in the man's voice.

"Yes, looking at a group of them right now." Harry answered. "Those pointy sticks make you look very strange, so does wearing those dresses." 

"Great an imbecile." Snape snarled.

"Not really, I feel I am above average in intelligence. However, ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer." Harry retorted. "You're not from around here, hence you are the strangers."

The woman snorted, as Snape rebuked her. "Tonks, this is serious business. Get your head in the game." 

Well, that makes it easier now that I know her name. Maybe I should get a few snakes for guarding? Maybe? "A game, interesting, what game are you playing?" Harry asked. "I didn't see anything in town about a game being played today, but I also wasn't looking to play today. I expected to spend my day fishing." Harry could see the man who had a wooden leg coming closer, he was moving fast and trying to yell at his friends. Too bad Harry had cast a silencing spell on the area. 

So the wooden leg man can see through regular glamour. It had to be why he was yelling at his friends and pointing to Harry. Harry waved his hand and sent the wooden leg man into the lake, at the splash the four he had been talking too looked to see what happened. 

Harry stepped away and as the man surfaced, Harry sent his four friends to join him and he disappeared into the woods. Now to plan the next move Harry thought, he would have to make sure to stay away from the one with the wooden leg if he could see through regular glamour. He wondered if it applied to the spells the snakes taught him. He found his stuff, cleaned up the area and started off on his way to Scotland. 

__________________________________________________________________________

Harry peeked down from the tree he was sleeping in as a bunch of point stick holding people were walking in the woods. 

"Mad-Eye you see anything yet?" Snape asked. 

"No, Snape. I don't. Nothing is showing with the spell locator either." Mad-Eye replied. So that is wooden leg man's name. 

They were now standing under the tree he had been sleeping in. "Where is that boy?" The red-haired man asked.

"If we knew that, we wouldn't be out here searching." Tonks answered. "All I know is I don't want to be dumped into a lake or into some other country. Italy wasn't happy with our illegal arrivals." 

"The little brat better be thankful I don't kill him when I find him." Snape snarled. 

"Sure, that attitude is going to make him want to come with us." Tonks answered.

"Calm down everyone. He is just a boy, who doesn't know he is a wizard and is protecting himself. We know what his relatives did." 

Learn something new, I'm a wizard. So what else will these dress wearers tell me? Harry wondered if they even realized how annoying they were becoming.

"Why Albus left him there I will never know." Snape snarled out. "Minerva and I warned him what they were like."

"I get why he ran away. After just two minutes in their presence, I wanted to hex them." Tonks informed them.

"Well, what's done is done. We have to find him and get him back to Albus." The red-hair man replied.

"You mean before the Death Eaters or You-Know-Who finds him? I want to know where he learned some of his tricks." Mad-Eye commented. They started walking again.

So they were looking for him because of Albus Dumbledore. He was the man who dumped him at his relatives' house. He knew all about that man. His aunt made sure of that. She had shown him all the letters that the man had written to his Uncle. Harry glared at their retreating backs before an idea hit him. He waved his hand and they were all naked. He quickly made a port-key. He bound them together and as they started screaming at each other, he sent them back to Italy. He hoped they enjoyed the trip. He laughed a bit and went back to sleep. He still had ways to go to get to Scotland. Maybe Wales? No, he had a better idea, London was calling. He had some research to do.

______________________________________________________________________

Harry was seated in the Central London Magical Library when he saw Snape walk in. The man was looking for someone or something. Harry sighed, he knew he covered his magical signature and since he was under a different glamour he remained seated. 

He continued his reading as Snape walked around the library. He was enjoying his time here and he wondered if Snape would approach him or not. He already had a port-key ready, for him this time. "Mr. Potter?"

Harry didn't look up, as he knew Snape was hoping. The man was standing behind him. "As you are the only child in the library, I am going to assume you are Mr. Potter." 

Harry felt the point of a stick in his back. He turned his head. "May I help you?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter, you can. You will get up and come with me." 

"HELP!!!!STRANGER DANGER!!!!This man wants to take me out of the building and I don't know him." Harry's yelling caused all the adults to turn and pull out their wands.

"Drop the wand." Harry heard a voice from behind them say. 

"This boy is a student at Hogwarts."

"What's Hogwarts?" Harry asked, confusion in his voice. "I don't know you or Hogwarts."

"I am sure we can clear this up." Snape tried. 

Harry started crying. "Don't let the mean man take me. Please, don't." He was pulled into a woman's arms. "I don't know who he is."

"You are safe. No one will make you go with him." The woman comforted him.

"I am Professor Severus Snape, he is a student of mine."

"School is out. So why do you really want him?" A man asked. 

"If you call for Headmaster Dumbledore everything will be explained." Snape started to say.

"I know you, you're a Death Eater." Another voice stated. 

The woman who comforting him, moved him to a chair. "You sit here sweetie, we will handle this."

Soon chaos broke out, as Snape tried to explain but everyone else wouldn't let him. Harry used the chaos and slipped away. He headed to the loo and once inside, used the port-key to get away. He really couldn't believe how persistent these people were. 

___________________________________________________________________________________

Severus POV:

I was fuming as I was immobilized in the library waiting for the Aurors and Albus to arrive. I couldn't speak to voice the fact that the boy escaped again. If it wasn't me experiencing all the boy's escapes I would actually have been laughing. I never saw any of his counter moves coming and this one was one I would never have expected. The boy was a pure Slytherin, oh how Albus is going to hate that.

I glared as Kingsley, Tonks, Mad-Eye, and Albus arrived. I listened to the patrons and library employees tell them what happened. They demanded proof that the boy attended Hogwarts. "I am sorry, but the matter doesn't concern you. Professor Snape was just here to collect him and bring him to safety."

"Why Albus, I wasn't aware you could lie so well." Lucius Malfoy made his presence known. "The boy isn't your student, nor is he Professor Snape's. I am wondering why you are so busy chasing a child who isn't one of your students?" 

Great, the blond idiot was here to create problems. Why is that he always turns up like a bad knut?

"I am his magical guardian." Albus stated. 

"No, you aren't. I checked. You would have been his magical guardian if he attended Hogwarts, but he doesn't. His magical guardian is actually my wife. As the closest magical family relation. So you will cease searching for him. If I find that you have continued on with your search I will file charges." Lucius stated. "I believe you will find everything is in order in that parchment." Lucius handed the sealed parchment to Albus. 

Great, just great, the Dark Lord's bootlicker now has control of the brat. He was thankful he had kept the Dark Lord informed of almost all of the details of the Order's search for the brat. So he was at least safe from being killed. He started to struggle so that someone might remove the spell.

Lucius noticed him. "Finite Incantatem."

"Thank you, Lucius, at least someone has some sense." He commented. "Now can we leave?" 

"Yes, yes, I think that would be best." Albus stated.

I realized Albus was already beginning to plan on how to get back control over Harry Potter. I knew Lucius, Lucius would have made sure everything was legal and there would be nothing Albus would be able to do about it. 

Albus had lost a lot of power when he couldn't produce Harry Potter for the last few years. It wasn't even until a few months ago, that we had a lead. Of course, the brat led us on a merry goose chase. He knew he wouldn't be giving up on the search. Albus and the Dark Lord would require that he keep looking. He only hoped he could find the boy before the Death Eaters did.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Back to Harry 

Harry was reading the Daily Prophet. It was one he found in the Leaky Cauldron when he saw an article about him. Well, isn't that interesting, I have a new magical guardian. I better find my way to Gringotts. The snake he had made an acquaintance with last week had been very helpful. He still wasn't going to go looking for this Lucius Malfoy or Lord Malfoy. The man looked like he would break if he bent over.

He glanced up as he noticed Snape exiting the fireplace. What a weird way to travel but wizards were weird. He watched the man shake off the soot and Harry got an idea. He waved his hand and soot was all over the man again. He kept his head lowered but watched again as Snape removed the ash. When he took a step, Harry waved his hand again and covered him this time with a bucket full of the ashes from the fireplace. 

"Professor Snape, I am sorry. I have no idea how that happened." The bartender, Tom, rushed over to Snape. 

"I am perfectly capable of cleaning myself." Snape ground out as Tom was trying to brush the ash off. "Scourgify." 

Harry waited until Snape was almost out the door and did it again. He could hear a few patrons release their laughter and Harry, being daring, had a sign appear in front of Snape. "I hope you aren't looking for me still." 

Snape snarled as he whirled around to face the customers in the room. Harry knew he was looking for a teen but he didn't make that mistake this time. He was an elderly old man reading the paper and one of the few that didn't have a wand. He had finally learned what the pointy sticks were called. 

"Who did it? I want to know who is the moron who thinks this is funny?" Snape looked at each wizard and witch in the room. 

Harry lifted his head up and looked at Snape as did everyone else. "I'm sorry Professor but I didn't see anyone casting a spell." Tom told him, everyone else agreed with Tom.

Snape stormed out of the Leaky Cauldron and Harry decided it was time to follow him. He followed him to a few different stores and back to the Leaky Cauldron where he heard him say "Three Broomsticks." 

Harry waited a few minutes and followed. He had never been to Hogsmeade and found the little village interesting. He could see a huge castle and realized that it must be Hogwarts. Well, I found it, now to get away before I get caught. He headed back to the tavern and was about to floo away when someone grabbed his arm. 

"I found you." Snape crowed.

"No, you didn't. You will find that I have ways to leave." As soon as he said that he waited for the three-second trigger and soon felt the pull of his emergency port-key. 

He landed with Snape still holding onto him. Harry grinned and send a burst of magic through his arm, forcing Snape backward and into his lovely trap. The transport cage was waiting. "Goodbye." 

"Wait. I really need to speak to you." 

"I am not going anywhere near Albus Dumbledore. I don't and won't trust him." 

"He will keep you safe. There is someone out to kill you."

"I am aware. I also know Dumbledore's idea of safety. So no thanks." Harry would never trust Dumbledore. 

"I will make you a deal, we hear each other's side. I promise not to try and make you come with me to Albus. I will promise I will protect you."

Harry laughed. "I believe I have been doing a very good job protecting myself. I want nothing to do with your battles. I don't know who this Lord Malfoy is but I am not going to start trusting him either." 

"Good. To be honest, neither of them are good people. Dumbledore at least wants to improve our world."

"Do you know why I don't live with my relatives? I heard you mentioning me running away but does anyone know why?"

"Yes, I know why. They were actually arrested by the muggle police for child abuse and are currently in jail." Snape told him. Harry summoned a chair. "How did you learn to do magic?"

"That is my secret. Now, you are going to explain to me why you believe Dumbledore is the better choice. Personally, I think neither is. If someone is going to drag me into this two-way battle, I will make it a three-way one."

Snape smirked. "I was hoping you would say that. How about I teach you all I know and we get rid of both of them? We recruit those who don't want to belong to either side. We put them against each other. We work each side. I bring you to both of them, we make deals with them, and work them against each other from the inside." 

Harry leaned back in his chair. "If they are already fighting against each other, how do you propose this will work? Dumbledore already lost a few positions yet they can't get rid of him from Hogwarts. This other one, the one Malfoy is for, he seems unstable and just as firm in his position as Dumbledore is."

"We can use that." Snape waited to see what the boy would come up with. He wanted to see if the boy was up for it.

"You're a spy for each of them?"

That surprised Snape. He wasn't expecting the boy to figure that out so fast. "Yes."

"So we feed each of them with a slightly inaccurate version of the truth? I am sure you already have been doing. If you were to "present me" to each side, it would seal your position. Malfoy would make me go to Hogwarts. Dumbledore would try and recruit me for his side. Malfoy and his cronies work to make sure I stay with him. I provide more information, slightly inaccurate but enough to back your claims, while we use Hogwarts to recruit more. Get those who aren't involved as a secret party."

Snape smiled his first real smile in over a decade. "I knew you were a Snake." 

"That you will need to explain but I want more than just this conversation to seal the bargain and release you from the cage." 

Again Snape smiled, yes, this boy was the key to winning, just not in the way either side saw how the boy was key. "I will make a Vow."

"Explain that." Harry stated. 

Five years later:

Harry leaned against a tree, as they watched the Aurors arresting Dumbledore, Voldemort, and their henchmen. Dumbledore, with his supporters, and Voldemort, with his Death Eaters, had shown up at Harry's trap. A fake battlefield with the Aurors and others in the trees surrounding the area. As soon as the first spell was cast the magic-nullifying spell hit those on the battlefield. No one would cast anything or do anything violent unless you wore a spell charmed ring. 

"The Bee has fallen." Luna grinned as she approached Snape and Harry. 

"Neville's plants worked wonderfully." Hermione smiled as they watched one of the Death Eater's try to run and Neville's ivy snared him. 

"I can't believe they fell for it." Draco muttered. He took hold of Hermione's hand. "My father runs like a girl."

Harry laughed, "I think the plant likes him." He felt Snape move closer to him, and he reached over and pulled Snape into his arms. "Is that you wanted?"

"Yes. I knew we could do it." Snape answered. 

"I wish Weasley would stop screaming at the Death Eaters and worry about the fact he is in cuffs." Lavender stated. "I still can't believe him."

"He is an idiot." Blaise stated. 

"True." Fred and George, joined by their brothers, Bill, Charlie, and Percy, agreed. 

"Shame Ginny couldn't be here to see this. I think she would have enjoyed watching Dumbledore go down." Molly stated. She never forgave Dumbledore for allowing her daughter to die in the Chamber of Secrets. 

"They will all pay for their misdeeds." Arthur stated. "Amelia sent me a Patronus saying she was very impressed with our work."

"I am sure she will be at the victory party later." Theo stated. "Oh, Narcissa said that no one was hurt."

"I will get the students back at Hogwarts next week. Filius and the goblins said everyone arrived safely and have been enjoying the lessons and want to spend the rest of the week learning from the goblins. The goblins agreed." Minerva stated as she joined them. 

"So what is going to happen to the ones who didn't know the truth about Dumbledore?" Dean asked.

"They are going to question everyone with truth serum." Arthur replied. "Amelia already arranged to have everyone questioned by the Aurors. No one will be put into Azkaban without being spoken to."

"Good." Snape replied. He tilted his head up to his husband and quietly asked, "so we ready to go home and celebrate?"

"Yes." Harry gave him a kiss. "Let's go enjoy the fruits of our labor."


End file.
